Educational measures

Law enforcement measures Cooperation

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Approximately 80 cities have already been graded, altho the campaign is just now under way. A southern city stands at the top of the list with a grade of 825. Its rate of venereal diseases among the second million draft men was 14.98 per cent. In contrast, a northern city with a rate of venereal infection of only 4.71 per cent is almost at the bottom of the graded cities of its class, with 175 points out of a possible 1,000. The southern city was in an extra-cantonment zone during the war and is taking drastic steps

and

U. S. Public Health Service

"DO YOUR BIT"

to maintain war-time efficiency in combating venereal diseases; the northern city is not. A western city ranks next to the southern city, with a rate of 775; its rate of venereal infection was comparatively small, 4.88 per cent, but the city officials are not content and will adopt every necessary measure to materially reduce this.

Altogether, the results being reported from the many cities thruout the United States are most gratifying. Cities which did not benefit during the war by having free clinics in operation and restrictive measures enforced, for the greater part are now adopting methods similar to those employed during the war. There is even a fine spirit of competition between the city boards of health, and in making the grades there is a very gratifying amount of quibbling over points. No city wishes it broadly published that it is doing practically nothing to control venereal diseases. It hurts business.

This was never better illustrated than when the Public Health Service published a statement prepared by the office of the Surgeon General of the army showing the rate of venereal infection by cities of the second million drafted men. The cities so un

mediately determined to adopt drastic restrictive measures. The cities with the low rates took advantage of the healthy condition and are now striving to improve it.

In most progressive cities the houses of prostitution, the breeding places, have been closed. Persons diseased are compelled to undergo treatment and are restricted until they are non-infectious. Those who rebel are confined. Drastic laws have been passed forbidding such diseased persons from handling food and working in dairies and restaurants. And, more drastic still, prisoners brought before the bar of justice are compelled in a great many places to submit to medical examination and are treated if diseased.

It should not be necessary to emphasize the economic side of venereal disease control. More days were lost in the army from this cause than all other diseases combined, and five-sixths of these diseases were brought into the army from civil life. It should therefore be comparatively easy to form an idea of the terrific economic loss in civil life. It is certainly important for the city to protect the public from communicable diseases more disastrous than any with which they have to deal that are not

A

DEPARTMENT of Purchases has

been inaugurated by the City Manager of Waltham, Mass., in order that purchases for all departments may be centralized under one head instead of the former method of each department's buying its own requirements. It was realized that a considerable saving and a more efficient handling of purchases could be effected by such centralization. It is toward this end that we have been working for the last eighteen months (actual operation), and at the present writing the department is firmly established and working under at satisfactory system.

The first problem was the outfitting of the office and the preparing of purchase forms, the most important of which are the official requisitions, quotations, orders and invoices. The requisition was printed in duplicate; one copy for the files of the department submitting it and the yellow copy for the Purchasing Agent. The order form was printed in quadruplicate; the first copy being the original order; the second copy the "acknowledgment" of order (blue), which is signed and returned by the firm immediately upon receipt of order; the third copy (green) retained in our files for our record; the fourth copy (yellow) sent to the department for which the goods are ordered, and returned to the Purchasing Agent immediately upon receipt of goods by the department. The department then receives in exchange the third copy of the order, which was temporarily retained in our files. This makes a permanent record in our files of the acknowledgment or order, signed by the firm, and the receipt-of-goods copy, signed by the department; and also gives the vendor and the department head each a copy for record-all made at one operation originally.

System Becomes a Habit

Orders are filed numerically and indexed. Requisitions are filed numerically also, according to our requisition number (which

is given each request when it is received in this office, the numbers running in rotation). These are also indexed before being filed, and the department's serial number is also recorded. The quotation form is printed in triplicate. The first and second copies are mailed to the quoting firm, with the request that the first copy be returned, signed by the firm quoting; the second copy is for the firm's files; and the third copy is a "follow-up," which is retained in our files until the quotation is received. The invoice form is printed in duplicate, and a set is sent out with each order and bears the order number. The vendor is requested to submit the bill on these forms and to take affidavit if on emergency order without a contract or quotation in our file. Our reason for this request to use our standard bill forms is that all invoices may be received on uniform bill heads and that our files, as well as the Auditor's, may be kept neat by having all sheets of one size and color.

The majority of firms have readily complied with our request; however, others have disregarded the matter and still insist on sending their own forms (one copy only) and we must make copies of the invoices for our files before they can be passed for payment. The blue duplicates of invoices are filed in this office alphabetically and then numerically behind that letter. The numerical index makes them easy of access because the invoice number is placed on the order index card, and the alphabetical guides give instantaneous access to all bills of a certain firm in a single place. A card index is kept of all materials purchased, so that by referring to this file a former price paid for a particular article. may be compared with the present quotation, and so that data relating to quantities purchased at various seasons and to the market fluctuations may be ascertained.*

Six other New England municipalities have now adopted this complete system, originated by our pres ent City Manager in 1915 for Norwood, Mass.

TO THE PERSON MAKING REQUISITION IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A COPY OF THE ORDER FOR THIS MATERIAL WITHIN 72 HOURS TELEPHONE THE PURCHASING AGENT. IT MAY HAVE BEEN NECESSARY TO SECURE QUOTATIONS. OR YOUR REQUISITION MAY HAVE BEEN LOST BEFORE DELIVERY Fam MI-OM-3-18

SIGNED.

TITLE

SUBMITTED BY.

ADDRESS

Fimm M2-1M-3-18

THIS IS NOT AN ORDER

ORIGINAL TO RETURN

FOUR OF THE FORMS USED BY THE MUNICIPAL PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, WALTHAM, MASS.

Prompt Payments Attract Low Prices

As to payment of invoices, formerly each department approved and passed bills to the Auditor only once a month, and very few, if any, discounts could be taken for cash payments, because the discount period had already passed or would have passed before the Auditor could prepare his warrants to the Treasurer for payment, this partly because of numerous "committee" and "aldermanic" approvals. All invoices, except those of the School Department and emergency food bills and rents of the Welfare Department, are now submitted to the office of the Purchasing Department for checking and investigating for the Manager's approval. On the 7th, 17th, and 27th of each month all invoices which are ready for payment are forwarded to the Auditor after all possible discounts have been deducted. By this method we have been able to save nearly $900 during the last eleven months on 2 per cent cash, for 10-day payment. This system removes the former burden placed on the Auditor at the end of each month, by distributing the work thruout the month, and encourages better prices from vendors because of prompt payments.

Eliminating Delays

The "follow-up" system on orders issued has been used with great success in spite of war conditions delaying shipments, etc. A small metal tab with the number of the day of the month is attached to each order ten days after the date upon which the order was sent. Upon referring to the file each morning, all orders bearing the current date are removed from the file, and a printed post card in the form of an inquiry is sent to each firm, requesting information on delay of shipment of goods, etc.

Stores Account

A Stores Account, covering stationery supplies, office supplies, etc., has worked out successfully. For instance, instead of buying a few dozen pencils for some office, a gross or two are purchased for the Purchasing Agent, Stores Account, and the smaller requirement is then charged to the other department. With the size of stock which we require, no large saving can, of course, be realized, but many small orders can be avoided and the rather slip-shod

method of "Go out to So-and-So and get it" is not so conveniently practiced. It is our intention this year to extend the Stores system to include supplies for public buildings and any other general supplies which can be purchased advantageously in quantities.

The Great Saving Thru Discounts

The total number of written requests for requisitions was 1,335, but hundreds of telephone requests were also received. It has been our aim to have all materials ordered thru this office and covered by our forms. We have impressed this on all departments, and in case of emergencies have requested that they call us on the telephone before ordering materials for such emergencies. We usually have sufficient time to secure prices and turn the department to the firm giving the most favorable quotation. The majority of quotations are received over the telephone, because it is the quickest and usually the most satisfactory method. However, it has been necessary to send out a number of requests for written quotations.

Materials have been purchased locally just as far as possible, and it will be noted that over one-half the purchase orders were issued to local firms. Much miscellaneous material (such as hardware, lumber, coal, etc.) has been received locally but has not been covered by orders and, therefore, does not appear on the chart. It must, therefore, be realized that the item of $36,487.30 does not include all the business given to local firms by departments buying thru the Purchasing Agent, while, on the other hand, the $106,238.22 does represent practically the whole amount of business with foreign firms. The total cost of running the department has been $1,870, of which $577 was for initial furnishings, and the actual operation has been more than offset by the total savings effected by trade and cash discounts of $1,715.

Without attempting to estimate the amount saved to the city on the total of its annual purchase, it is worth knowing that discounts alone have practically offset the entire cost of the office, including the new equipment and salaries. This does not take into account the advantages made possible by the coöperation of the city departments in pooling purchases and the saving realized thru competitive bidding.